Twisted Minds, Broken Masks, and a Painful Love
by Rukia Kurosaki-Kuchiki
Summary: IchiRuki: Rukia is being targeted. Then she meets Ichigo.Together they discover their dark secrets, horrible pasts, and their feelings for one another...But will Ichigo's secret keep him from admitting his love for Rukia, even if their lives depend on it?
1. The Angel

**Hi! This is my first story... if I do something stupid, I'm sorry. If I miss something that I'm supposed to put up here, just tell me and I'll fix it...**

**This is rated T for language... the first few Chapters may seem like Renji x Rukia, but the main pairing is Ichigo x Rukia**

**~Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach...~ **

**I hope you enjoy! ^^**

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**Chapter 1**

* * *

I was dizzy. Karakura High's schoolyard spun before my eyes, and my friends looked down on me worriedly.

"Rukia?" Orihime's brows were furrowed as she hovered over me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" I lied, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Something was off, I knew that much. But what? And why was I feeling so nauseous?

Tatsuki grinned. "Stubborn as always. If you don't feel well, go to the nurse."

"I'm fine. Don't worry." I assured, but another sharp pain shot though my skull, and I gasped.

"_Sure." _Tatsuki snorted. "That's why you're staggering like a drunk. And you're pale."

"I'm _always_ pale."

"Ruki-chan? You ought to go to the nurse." Orihime told me, her blue eyes anxious. "You don't look very well."

The bell signaled and I only made it to my next class by sheer force of will and stubborn idiocy. When I collapsed into my chair I rubbed my temples, trying to ignore the insignificant noisy chatter around me.

"You okay, Rukia-chan?" Said Renji, my annoying redheaded friend, and slipped into the chair next to me. "You don't look okay."

"You're like the third person to tell me that in the past two minutes." I mumbled, resting my forehead against my desk.

Renji chuckled. "Then maybe it's true, midget."

"What did you just call me?" My head snapped up, eyes in a death glare.

"…I guess you can't be _that _bad if you could look at anyone like that." He shivered.

I snorted and returned to lodging my head between my arms.

By the end of the period, I started to feel a little better. I was still nauseous, but at least my head didn't feel like it was about to split open anymore.

Usually I'm never sick. When I was younger I never had so much as a fever, not even the chicken pox. That, of course, changed when I turned sixteen. I think that was because around that time I started seeing things. _Things _being spirits of the dead. I've never actually like the term "ghosts," and I guess now I know why.

_Ghosts _are believed to appear in shadows, to be able to go though objects and make noises that scare little children, and mostly appear at night. That only "gifted individuals" can see them, and even then they only see glimpses out of the corner of their eye, or a reflection.

What they're seeing is actually just the memories of spirits who've already passed on; generally the ones that are too painful to take with them to wherever it is they go.

Actual spirits, (the ones I know of, anyway,) wander the world until they can "pass on." To do that they need to do whatever it takes to finally get peace, like realize that they're really dead or say goodbye to family… that sort of thing. Where they go after that is beyond me. I've never really been religious, so the whole "Heaven or Hell" concept doesn't mean much to me.

As for the "gifted" part, that's merely a matter of opinion. To one person an amazing ability, to the other a pain-in-the-ass that completely ruined their life _and _their sixteenth birthday.

"Rukia!" Tatsuki called, waving a hand in front of my eyes. "You're spacing here! Did you switch minds with Orihime-chan or something?"

"Sorry." I grimaced. "What'd I miss?"

We were all outside in the schoolyard, by our favorite tree.

"Well, miss space-case, Renji here was just professing his love for you…" Tatsuki began, casually.

"Was not!" Renji yelled, his face roughly turning the same shade of scarlet as his hair. "Don't listen to her, Rukia!"

I just laughed. "It's ok, Renji, I love you too."

He knew I was teasing, but he still looked away and mumbled something under his breath, blushing

"Aww! How cute. Renji's embarrassed!" Orihime squealed.

"Am not!"

"Are too!" Tatsuki countered. "You're a freakin' radish! Look at yourself!"

I snickered. "I always thought he was more of a pineapple."

"Shut it, shorty." Renji growled.

"So now he's a fruit _and _a vegetable?" Tatsuki asked, looking thoughtful.

"Like a tomato!" Orihime chirped.

"Technically, a tomato's just a fruit." I said.

"Are you implying something?" demanded Renji.

"Why would I be implying something? Are you implying that I'm implying something?" I met his eyes, completely mocking.

"You said I was a fruit!"

I shrugged. "You said it, not me."

Renji groaned. "Just go back to being sick."

"That's mean, Renji." Orihime said. "Besides, you're the one who's sick."

Renji stared at her, clueless. "What?"

"Lovesick!" chimed Orihime and Tatsuki, giggling.

"I am _not!_"

"Okay, enough. Leave him alone." I said. "You're not helping my migraine."

"Fine…" Tatsuki sighed. "But it's just so fun to tease him!"

"Are you going to come to the beach with us after school today?" Orihime asked, unpacking her lunch.

I looked down at the combination honey bread, peanut butter, olives, blueberry yogurt, salami, and various types of food that did not in any way belong anywhere _near_ eachother. My stomach churned, reminding me that I'd been nauseous.

"Uh… I don't know, Hime-chan." I said, fighting back the urge to flee to the nearest bush and puke. "Can't you wait until tomorrow? Wouldn't it be better to go on then?"

"The beach is always crowded on a Friday." Tatsuki reminded me. "If we go today, we'll probably _get _a parking spot, unlike the last time we went."

"Who's coming?"

"Me, Orihime, Chizuru, Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and a few others. I'm sure Renji will come if you are." Tatsuki grinned when Renji flipped her off. "So, please?"

"I don't have a swimsuit…" I said weakly, trying to find another excuse not to go.

"You can borrow one of my old ones." Tatsuki offered, like she knew what I was thinking. "And if you have to puke in the car, we'll bring extra towels."

"If she's gonna puke in the car, I'm not sitting by her." Renji announced. "Just making it clear."

"Yes you will." Orihime said knowingly. "You always do."

"So, are you coming?"

"…yeah." It was no use. They'd get me to come one way or the other, and I'd prefer the way that's less painful, thank you very much.

"It's going to rain…" I said, thinking aloud. I had no idea how I knew that, but I did.

The sun blazed sarcastically in the cloudless sky, just flaunting the proof that I had to be wrong.

"…stop mocking me." I muttered, turning a page of my paperback book. It was worn, with the pages dog-eared and slightly bent; a sign that it was well loved.

The sun glowed vainly when Renji sat next to me.

"Why are you talking to yourself?" he asked, clearly doubting my mental health. "And there is no way it's going to rain. It is ninety four degrees out here, and there aren't any clouds."

I glared at him. "Your point?"

Yeah. I was just saying the same thing to myself, but when someone _else _tells me I'm going insane…

He shrugged. "Whatever."

"Rukia-chan!" Orihime called from the water. "You should come in the water. It's great!"

I smiled. "No thanks, I'm fine out here!"

Renji eyed the water hopefully, and then turned to look at me. To the water, back to me. Water, me, water…

"Just go already." I sighed, exasperated. "If you're going to have that look on your face, _go. _You don't have to sit here if you don't want to, Renji."

He grinned. "Thanks Rukia!" He ruffled my dark hair and sprung toward the water, splashing Keigo and Mizuiro.

"_Dork." _I ran my fingers through my hair, but it still managed to remain in my eyes.

Tatsuki plopped down on my towel, replacing where Renji'd just been. "You look like you're having fun." She commented.

"Beaches aren't really my thing. I'd rather just sit here and read… which I haven't been able to do, what with all of this noise."

Tatsuki made a face. "Nerd!" she accused. "You should take whatever's been shoved up your ass out and have some _fun _for once. Do you even know what fun _is?_"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Do you even know what _one-piece _swimsuits are? This thing makes me uncomfortable."

"Don't be so self-conscious. You're cute and you know it. Plus it shows that you _do _have boobs."

I went pink. "What do you mean by that?"

She laughed. "It's just that the clothing you tend to wear makes you look flat, that's all. But" Tatsuki stopped me before I could voice that I was offended. "You know how much Orihime wished she could do that, hide behind jackets. Jackets only make hers look bigger."

I glared at her. "So you've just called me a nerd," I counted on my fingers. "Self-conscious, have no fashion, and insulted my boobs."

"How did I insult your boobs? It was a compliment. I just said that it showed that you _have _boobs-"

"New subject." I demanded. "Preferably one that doesn't involve boobs."

Renji's head popped out of the water. "Did you just say something about boobs?"

I groaned. "We weren't talking about boobs."

"Yes you were. I heard you!"

"You couldn't have heard us. You were underwater! There's no way- you know what? Just shut up_. _We weren't talking, aren't talking, and will not be talking about boobs."

Renji returned to swimming, grumbling. Tatsuki chortled. "Not your favorite subject, eh?"

I ignored her and returned to my copy of _Romeo and Juliet. _

I'd just reached the part where Romeo was climbing the balcony when the clouds started rolling in.

"Whoa!" Keigo said, pointing toward the sky. "Guys, look!"

The sky, which had been a clear, stunning light blue, had turned a dull gray. Thunder rumbled near by, and enormous storm cloud was steadily approaching.

"Quick! Let's get out of here." Renji said, leading the others out of the water.

We grabbed our stuff and started toward the car. The few families that decided to come to the beach were doing the same. A father was soothing his little daughter, telling her that everything was ok and there was nothing to be afraid of. I felt a small pang of envy. She was so lucky, to have someone to wipe away her tears…

"C'mon Rukia. We need to get to the car…" Renji took my hand and pulled me along. I kept looking back at the sky over my shoulder. Something didn't feel right…

Keigo's van was just in sight when it started to drizzle. Chizuru and Michiru, a brunette that I don't know very well, squealed and shrieked at Keigo, telling him to unlock the doors.

"It's _raining! _Hurry _up!" _Chizuru said, trying to pry the door open. I didn't get what the big deal was. They were just swimming, why did it matter if they were getting wet?

Pretty soon we were all shivering and scrunched together, getting Keigo's seats wet.

"Damn that's _cold._" Mizuiro said, shaking out his hair like a dog. Keigo cranked the knob and heat started blowing. I pulled a t-shirt over my head, and then froze when I realized something.

I stood and cursed. "My _necklace! That's _what it is!"

Renji looked up sharply. "You forgot it?"

"Yes…"

"I'll go with you." Renji said. "You guys go ahead. We'll be fine." He slammed the door shut before they could protest.

"Thanks, Renji…"

"No problem." Instantly we were drenched. The rain had gone from a light drizzle to absolutely pouring. It felt like thousands of little needles were stinging my skin.

I know what you're thinking. We've just abandoned our only ride home to go search for a piece of jewelry in _this _weather. We _must _be crazy. Or at least suicidal, right?

That necklace was given to me as a gift when I was young. It's the only thing I have that belonged to my family. I never once thought that they'd abandoned me. Even as I grew up in the streets, I never resented them. I couldn't.

It was in those streets that I met Renji… but that's a story for a later time.

"There it is!" Renji pointed over to the small cliff they'd been using earlier to jump into the water. The silver chain of my necklace glinted near the edge.

Lightning flashed overhead. Looking closely, it almost looked orange…

"I've got it!" I yelled over the wind. "Renji! Renji?"

But Renji was gone. I squinted through the rain, searching for his spiky red ponytail, and found nothing.

Turning towards the storm cloud oversea, my heart froze into an ice cube in my chest. That wasn't the wind.

It was _howling_. A horrible, bone-chilling, _evil _cry.

Two large, clawed hands tore itself from the storm cloud, ripping it in two. I was paralyzed, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. It emerged from the remains of the cloud.

The body was ugly; a dark, morphed thing that was hunched over, but still stood well over twelve feet tall easily. There was a hole through its body, right where its heart should have been. Its face was pale white with red markings. Wait… it wasn't a face. It was wearing a mask.

What was the most unnerving were the eyes. They were a sinister gold, with narrow slits for pupils and gleaming with open malice… and fixed directly on me.

The air around me suddenly seemed bitter and metallic, and hard to take in. I've never felt this way before. So helpless… Like a rabbit being hunted by a fox…

_So this is true fear. _I found myself thinking. _Is this where I die?_

The creature's mouth twisted into a sneer.

"_This is it? You're too weak. Too human…" _it spat, sounding just as it looked. _"You can't possibly be the Kuchiki."_

It reached out its massive hand, and I found myself screaming.

"Hey, ugly."

The orange lightning flashed again. A black fluid started leaking from the monster, and I gasped when the arm that had just been reaching for me was sliced cleanly off.

"If you're looking for a fight, you've got one. Just look over _here!_" There was another flash of light, and the monster screamed. The light had arched and somehow found itself in the center of the creature's forehead.

Nothing happened for a second. Then the monster cried out again, and its mask split in two, and then its head, then its neck… and it seemed to dissolve into ashes.

"So… are you alright?" the angel asked as the rainfall stopped.

He had to be an angel. He couldn't be human. He was too beautiful.

His eyes were a stunning mix of amber or cinnamon, and were watching me with concern. His features were perfect, not too rough but not delicate either. He was dressed oddly though; in a worn outfit of black that looked like something from ancient Japan. In his hand was a large sword with two types of metal; one part silver and the other some shiny dark metal.

His hair was an impossible bright orange that challenged the setting sun, and he managed to pull it off.

He sheathed his sword. "Can you walk?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. The recent events rolled through my head as I processed them.

My legs gave out, and the boy caught me wordlessly. I felt that I was safe in his arms…

Gazing up at him my thoughts went hazy, until finally the void of unconsciousness pulled me under.

At least if I really _was _crazy, there was an angel watching over me…


	2. Cruel Reality

**Hi again! :) It's time for chapter 2!**

**xxxDisclaimer: I don't own Bleach... Rated T for language...xxx **

**Thank you SakuraMoon08 for your review! ^^ **

**I hope you enjoy!**

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_**Twisted Minds, Broken Masks, and a Painful Love…**_

_**Chapter 2:**_

_**Cruel Reality **_

* * *

Groaning, I opened my eyes. The familiar pale blue of my bedroom ceiling greeted me coldly. I sat up, remembering the monster

…_it must have been a dream. _I decided, but I still felt doubtful. My imagination wasn't _that _vivid.

I sighed and put the thought away, getting out of bed. Even if it had been a dream, how did I wind up back here? It must have been Renji… he was the only person who knew where I lived.

It was an old, rundown apartment building on the bad side of Karakura town, and it had been abandoned long ago. Over the past couple years, it had become 'Home' for me.

The floorboards creaked, the walls barely held up, and the roof always leaked. The rain must have been real, at least, because water dripped in random puddles on the floor.

But it was still better than the streets where I grew up.

What mattered most was that I could actually call this place my own, even if it did get lonely sometimes.

"Goodbye!" I called cheerily, knowing the house was empty. As usual, nobody replied.

The door slid shut and I made my way down the deserted roads in my school uniform, whistling to myself softly.

"Hi Rukia!" Orihime waved. I smiled. "Hey, Hime-chan."

"Oh, oh! What happened to you and Renji after you guys left?" Orihime asked, bouncing excitedly. "We were all so worried! Keigo was all 'They'll be fine!' but I kept on asking things like 'But what if the ocean was upset for us swimming in it and wanted revenge and tried to eat them!'" she babbled. "But Mizuiro said 'No! That won't happen Orihime-'"

Tatsuki covered Orihime's mouth, cutting her off. "But that didn't happen. So calm down, Hime-chan, Rukia's fine."

_Same old Orihime. _I set my bag on my desk, listening to my two friends chatter happily. _Same old Tatsuki._

"Rukia, what happened to your arm?" Tatsuki questioned. As usual, she was the first to notice something.

"My arm?" I looked down, confused. "Oh…" I picked at the bandages around my arm carefully. "I don't really know…"

"Renji's gonna flip." Tatsuki smirked. "If I were you I'd run while I still had a chance."

I just rolled my eyes. "The pineapple can flip as much as he likes. He'd only be stressing himself out. It doesn't even hurt."

"Are you calling me a fruit again?" Said pineapple called, coming into the classroom.

"Speak of the devil." Tatsuki grinned. "Guess you can't run after all, Ruki-chan."

"Guess not." I chuckled. "Hey, Renji."

"What happened to you yesterday? I woke up on the beach. I can still taste the sand…" He coughed up bits of the beach as proof.

"Eww. That's gross." I made a face.

"Why'd you leave me there then?" Renji glared down at me accusingly.

"It's _your _fault, dumbass. _You _got lost. I couldn't find you so I left!" Err… Well I _think _that was what happened, anyway.

"Don't call me a dumbass-what happened to your arm?"

"I don't know." I said, sheepishly.

"What the hell do you mean you _don't know? _How can you _not_ know what happened to your arm? It _is_ attached to you, isn't it?"

I glared at him scornfully. "Shut it, pineapple. Your head is attached. What happened? 'Cause you must have hit it pretty damn hard as a kid to end up the way you are now."

"Why you little-!"

"Give it a rest, you two." Tatsuki sighed. "Class is starting, anyway. Fight later."

We grumbled our way back to our seats. Students piled into the classroom along with the teacher, and class started the predictable way.

"Here." I called absently when my name was listed off of attendance. I was dozing by the time half the lecture was over with, and after that Renji and I took turns throwing wads of paper at each other whenever the teacher's back was turned.

On our way out I snickered and plucked another paper from his pineapple hair.

"Shut up."

It was there, laughing with my best friends, that the cruel reality wove its way back into my life.

"Ow!" A sharp pain throbbed in my head. It seemed familiar…

"Rukia? Are you alright?" Tatsuki asked worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Renji hovered over me.

I opened my mouth and tried to answer. The pain came again, stronger. I clutched at my chest as I was forced to my knees and started choking.

"Quick! Get the nurse! She's coughing up blood!"

My vision blurred as people crowded around me. Tears stung my eyes as the pain continuously sharpened. Every breath I got in between losing blood was forced and agonizing.

"The nurse is on her way…"

"Tell her to hurry, damn it! Rukia, keep breathing!" Renji was spewing cuss words at every person within range. "I swear to fucking _god_, Rukia, if you die on me…"

"Move it. Out of the way, _now._" Someone growled, pushing through the crowd roughly. I expected the nurse, but the eyes I met were cinnamon.

The angel was in my classroom. Not only that, but he looked _pissed. _

"_You!" _I managed. It came out croaked and with a lot of gagging. I know, not attractive.

"No." He pointed at me. "_You. _I can't leave you for ten minutes without you leaving and reopening your damn wounds."

He leered to get a better look at me. "If you keep this up you're going to kill yourself. What's the point in me keeping you alive if you are just going to try to die anyway?"

If I could have said another word, I wouldn't have any idea what to say.

The angel pulled me into his arms with a single effortless motion that would have made me dizzy had the world not already been spinning. "Come on." He sighed.

"Who the hell are you?" Renji glared at the orange headed boy. "Put her down! We've got someone coming to help her."

Orangey just looked annoyed. "Your kind wouldn't know how to deal with this type of injury. Now get out of the way."

I coughed violently and Renji looked at the boy dangerously. "She needs help."

The angel just muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _Stupid humans_, but then again I wasn't exactly in the right condition to tell you anything.

"Get out of my way." The angel said briskly, and scowled when Renji refused to move out of the way.

"Fine." His scowl twisted into a smirk and he took a step backward. Then another.

Renji's snort was incredulous. "What's he going to do, jump out the window?"

Orangey raised a brow, as if daring the pineapple to doubt him. He never took his eyes off Renji as he maneuvered himself onto the part of the window he could stand on, (apparently called an _apron, _of all things,) so he was facing the classroom with his back to the sky.

Renji obviously thought he was bluffing. I did, too.

So you can imagine our shock when he calmly stepped away from the window and onto open sky.

"Never doubt me." And we dropped.

"Rukia!" Renji yelled, and sprang towards the window.

I found that, despite my feeling shitty, I could still scream. And scream I did. The air whizzed around our heads as we fell, yet the orange-headed boy's face remained expressionless.

I continued to shriek like a banshee. He just _jumped_ out of a four story building. _With me!_

The angel's feet touched the ground lightly. "Will you _shut up? _We're fine."

I gazed up at him, realizing we were no longer falling, and shut my mouth. _"Maniac." _I said breathlessly.

He grinned. "Thank you."

After that I grew silent, trying to make sense of things. _If _he_ was real_, I thought, looking up at the orange haired boy, _then does that mean…_

Does that mean it wasn't a dream?

Every detail of it flashed through my mind. The storm, the boy, the monster with the horrible mask and yellow eyes…

"Who _are_ you?"

The angel's eyes flickered, looking at me and trying to focus on getting away from the school at the same time.

"Where are you taking me? What's going on? Did last night-"

"We'll have plenty of time for questions later." He cut me off. "Right now, we just have to get the poison out of your system…"

"Poison?" My violet eyes widened in alarm.

"You'll be fine. It's just that last night when the Hollow- never mind." He gave up the explanation, probably from the ever-increasing puzzlement clearly displayed on my face. _Hollow? Does he mean the monster...?_

"We're going to someone that can help you."

I pushed aside my infinite amount of questions to finally take notice of where we were headed. Everything in the area was remote and barren, not unlike my apartment.

"Can you put me down now? I can walk." I finally said after around fifteen minutes of squirming in silence. The atmosphere felt lifeless, too, and the landscape didn't get any better. Both sides of the street were dotted with different shops, all with peeling paint, faded signs, and every other window shattered.

"No you can't." said the angel, like he truly believed his words without question.

"Yes, I can." I said confidently.

"No, you can't." he repeated.

"Well, how do you know, anyway? Can't I determine whether or not my own legs work?"

"Apparently not, if you think you can still walk."

"Drop me this instant!"

"Fine." He released his hold on me gracelessly and I found myself plopped on the ground.

"Ouch!" I glared up at him frostily. "You did that on purpose."

"So what if I did?" He was smirking, his eyes aglow with amusement. "You told me to."

"You're such an ass!" I huffed, and attempted to get on my feet. Needless to say, I failed miserably, winding up on the dirt road once again.

"Shut up." I said in response to his derisive snort.

"I told you, you can't walk."

"Watch me!" was my reply, and he did. He watched me fall on my ass, _again._

_What the hell? _I couldn't move my legs. The entire lower half of my body felt strange, and the tingling was all I could feel.

"Idiot." Orangey sighed, grabbing a hold of me despite my protests. "Stop complaining, we're almost there anyway."

"Don't call me an idiot!" was my genius comeback.

"Well what else can I call you? I don't know your name, shortie."

"_What did you just call me?" _I said dangerously, with a sadistic glint in my blue-violet eyes. Only my friends call me that, and they _still _never hear the end of it.

I pinched his arm. Hard.

"Ow!" He examined his arm. "I think that's going to bruise…"

"Good."

"You're heartless." The angel noted, but it still didn't bug him.

I was still fuming when we came to a halt. (_Shortie! Ugh..._) I stared up at the shop, confused, because it looked just like any of the other rundown shops we passed.

It was a decent size, rectangular, with a dark wooded fence surrounding it. The olive green paint was chipped and peeling, and some of the roof's tiles were dangling off the edge. There was a sign, larger than the others but still faded, that proclaimed this place to be "Urahara's Shop."

What was strange to me was that unlike the other stores, which were boarded up or blocked off, this store's door was wide open.

"You can't just go in! It's rude..." I told Orangey, who just strolled in like he owned the place. I didn't know if it was even considered rude, because the place appeared abandoned, anyway.

"It's not rude. The door's only open because we're being expected." he explained.

That only confused me more. How were we being expected? I've never been here before. How would someone know we were coming? Unless the orange guy told whoever's here. If there's even someone here.

The interior was completely different from the outside. Boxes lined the walls, and bizarre, colorful items were displayed throughout the room. There was a cash register on a clear glass counter, and a extremely tall, muscular man with glasses and a nice mocha skin tone.

"Ah, you're finally here." he said, nodding at Orangey and myself. "You must be Miss Rukia. I'm Tessai Tsukabishi."

"Um... nice to meet you." I said, a bit sheepishly. How did this guy know my name? This day just seemed to get more and more questionable.

"Wait here while I go fetch the Master..." he disappeared down a hallway, leaving us alone in the store.

"What's that?" I asked the angel, pointing at something by the cash register.

"Hm? Oh, those are Mod Souls." he said, moving toward the counter.

"Souls?" I asked, picking up the strange item. "It looks like a candy dispenser... 'Soul Candy.'" I read aloud, turning it over in my hands.

"That's right. Mod Souls; short for Modified Souls." A new voice answered. I yelped, clutching onto Orangey unconsciously. I nearly dropped the Soul Candy, I was so surprised.

The new arrival chuckled. It was a man with sandy blonde hair. He had a green and white striped hat, a long robe, and was wearing wooden clog-like shoes.

"Hello, Miss Kuchiki, it's nice to finally meet you." he greeted. "I am Kisuke Urahara. This is, as the sign outside says, my store. Just call me Urahara." He plucked the candy dispenser from my hands.

"Yes, these are souls. Created souls, actually." He opened the Soul Candy dispenser, and out plopped a little green thing about the size of a marble.

"See? This is a Mod Soul. Just swallow it, like this." He shoved the marble into Orangey's mouth and forced him to swallow.

My eyes widened. The angel seemed to split apart, and before I could blink there were _two _of him.

"Whoa..." I was still being carried by one Orangey, but the other stood just a small distance away. The other was wearing the black robes I saw yesterday, when he was fighting the monster. Or the _Hollow_, as he said earlier.

"Come on, Kon, bring Miss Rukia to the room in back. Tessai needs to treat her for poisoning." Urahara said, waving to the back.

The Orangey carrying me nodded, smiling widely. "Got it, Boss!"

"Not you." Urahara told the angel in the black robes, who was headed towards the same door that Kon was. "We need to talk."

"Oi!" The robed angel called. I thought he meant me, but he was actually talking to his look-alike.

"Try anything, and you're dead." his voice lowered dangerously. "Understand?"

Kon paled. He swallowed nervously. "G-got it."

xXxXxXx

Night came easily, blanketing around Karakura town.

I couldn't go home, apparently. Tessai said that I needed to to stay for treatment, and that if I left too soon the effects would return from the poisoning.

I said I was fine now, but Tessai puts up a pretty good argument. I don't know why, but I think it has something to do with how scary the guy is. No matter how intimidating he is, though, the man's really got a kind heart.

"How is she?" Orangey asked, slipping into the room quietly. At the time I was stuffed into a cocoon of blankets on the floor, ordered by Tessai to sleep. I peeked as he came and took a seat by Tessai on the floor.

"Recovering." Tessai said gruffly. "That damn Hollow got to her, huh? Careless of you, Ichigo."

"I'm not perfect. The thing jumped us from behind while I was holding off a Shrieker. I killed the little bastard, but it still managed to get to her. But that's the least of our problems, now. They sent a Menos already."

"A Menos, you say?" said Urahara from the back of the room. "Troublesome... not that you couldn't handle it, but that means..."

"That means that we have less time then we thought." Ichigo finished. "They already know where she is. They're just going to keep sending more and more Hollows until they can get to her, even if it means destroying Karakura Town in the process."

His words seemed to float in the air, sinking in, and all was quiet. I spied nervously from under the covers.

"We have no choice." Urahara finally said. "You have to take Rukia to the Soul Society."

* * *

**Please review! :)**


	3. A King and His Queen

**il est bon d'être vivant! Je vous aime tous! il est bon de revenir! I love you all! It's so great to be back.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Rated T.**

**Oh, and when you come to the words in bold later on, that's "Inner Rukia." Like a subconscious part of her being awakened? I know, it's confusing... **

**This Chapter is dedicated to my pug, Bruiser. He's hurt... He's on pain killers and he can't walk. We're praying for you, Boo Boo!**

**Please enjoy this chapter! There's more to come!**

* * *

"Hey. Wake up."

Something prodded my back lightly, and when I didn't respond it came again, more persistent.

"Go 'way." I mumbled, annoyed. "I'm sleeping…"

Orangey snorted. "I can see that. Get up, shortie."

I opened one eye, glaring up at the orange haired boy. My leg kicked out from my blanket cocoon, and Ichigo found himself sprawled on the floor face-first.

"What the hell?" he groaned, rubbing his sore shoulder. "Are you always this difficult in the morning?"

I curled back up into the blankets, smiling. "Don't call me short."

"Well, I could hardly call you tall." He grumbled. "And that hurt."

"Good." I said, and then realized he insulted me. I lashed my leg out at him again.

"Yep." He cringed. "Definitely not a morning person."

I yawned, stretching my arms out. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Eh, it's… nine twenty-eight." He said, eyeing a clock ticking on the wall.

"What?" I exclaimed, springing up. To my dismay, the clock read just as he said; nine twenty-eight.

Cursing fluently, I stormed through the room like a tornado, and eventually I found a duffel bag with my clothes in a corner.

I pulled down the sleeve of my robe, starting to undress, when I realized that Orangey was still in the room.

He was still on the floor where I tripped him, staring at me blankly. Then his face reddened, and I yelped.

"Get _out!_" I shrieked, throwing my duffle bag at Ichigo. It hit him square in the face. "Out, out, _out!_"

He fled looking more frightened than I thought possible, and his face surpassed Renji's hair color easily.

I know my face wasn't any better. Taking a deep breath, I shuddered and tried to convince myself that Ichigo hadn't seen anything. It didn't work.

I plucked my bag from off the ground and glared at the door Ichigo slammed on his way out.

Clearly it was _his_ fault. I mean, it had to be someone's fault, right? It was only logical.

I quickly dressed, not taking the time to question how someone had gotten a hold of my favorite torn jeans and inevitably invaded my closet, especially not wanting to dwell on the more personal items…

Yuck. I better not ever find out who brought my underwear, or someone may just very well die…

"Going somewhere?" called Urahara from the kitchen. "You should at least have breakfast."

"Can't." I said, rushing to open the door. "I'm late for work!"

"Ichigo quit your moping and go with Rukia." Tessai glared at the boy, who was sitting in a corner, apparently sulking. "You need to be with her if they send another Menos."

I didn't look to see if he was following, and just tore down the road in a rush. I _couldn't_ get fired.

xXxXxXx

"I'm so sorry, Shihōin-sama!" were the first words out of my mouth as I entered the Cat Café. I know, strange name, right?

The Cat Café is owned by Yoruichi Shihōin, a woman I've grown to admire over the years. She's independent, beautiful, confident in everything she does… the kind of person I want to be like someday. Plus, she never hesitated to tell someone off, no matter what.

I think she named the place because she likes cats, or maybe she named it after her cat. I don't know, but you can see a black cat roam around here every now and then.

"Its fine, Rukia-chan." She told me, pulling her violet hair back. "We closed early yesterday, because I was visiting an old friend… and stop calling me that. It makes me feel old. I told you, Yoruichi is fine. "

"Um, sorry, Yoruichi-sama." I grabbed for the broom propped up against the wall.

She sighed. "You're hopeless." Yoruichi snatched the broom from me before I could protest. "Besides, you work the espresso bar today."

"I thought I only did that on Sundays…?"

She looked at me strangely. "Are you alright? It _is_ Sunday."

I stared at my boss blankly. When her words registered, I realized that that meant that… I'd been asleep since Friday.

Damn it! My friends must be so worried. They haven't seen me since that carrot-haired dimwit pulled the window stunt… I have a lot to explain to them.

But would they believe me if I was completely honest with them?

I hated myself for considering lying to them, but what choice do I have? I wasn't in the mood for a visit to the insane asylum, thank you very much.

Apologizing to Yoruichi for my "forgetfulness," I got to work.

"Hello!" I greeted in that excessively cheerful, I-feel-like-an-idiot voice that I've grown accustomed to over the years. "Welcome to the Cat Café! May I suggest our Mocha Twist?"

"No thank you. I'll just have a medium cappuccino to go, please."

"I'll get that right away…"

Around twenty-three customers and fake smiles later, a growing-familiar fluff of orange came into the café.

"Nice apron." He sneered, gesturing to the black frill all the employees were forced to wear. "The ears are a little much, though."

I adjusted my cat ears, somehow still managing to be almost dignified.

All things considered, it could be worse, so I won't complain. At least I don't have a tail.

"Hello and welcome to the Cat Café. What will you be having today?" I glared at Orangey, wondering why he was here.

"Just give me whatever. I have to stay here and watch you, Urahara's orders."

"I don't need a babysitter." I grouched, handing him a styrofoam cup.

"They disagree." He sipped at the coffee and made a face. "What is this?"

"Decaf."

His nose crinkled. "It's horrible." Ichigo eyed it warily, and then took another drink.

"Idiot." I sighed at his obvious disgust. "If you don't like it, don't drink it."

"Meh." He said stubbornly, and took the coffee. "If you need me, I'll be over there."

That led to an amusing work day.

Between taking orders and working the register, I found myself watching Ichigo.

Every now and again a girl or two would approach his table, batting their eyelashes like they had something stuck in their eyes. He'd just gaze at them stonily, scowling in annoyance.

Eventually they'd either start to feel awkward enough to get up and leave him alone, or he'd scare them off with his facial expressions. I found it hilarious.

Twice he'd caught me watching, and I couldn't help but respond like any other mature seventeen year old would: by sticking out my tongue childishly, then promptly turning my back to him.

"Can I get more of that Decay stuff?" he asked me on my break.

"Decaf." I corrected, refilling his styrofoam cup. "I thought you didn't like it."

"I don't." he said, taking the coffee. "It's nasty."

"Okaaay. _That_ makes perfect sense." I left the espresso bar and took a seat at the nearest table.

"Shut up." He said, detecting my mocking tone.

I stretched out my arms, glad to finally be sitting down. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah?" he took the seat next to me, once again drinking the decaf he claimed to be disgusting.

"A long _three_ days." I amended. "Even though I slept through one of them."

Ichigo smirked. "You talk in your sleep, you know."

"Do not!" I glared at the carrot head.

"Yes, you do." He leaned back in his chair, smug. "You kept talking about your necklace, and something called a 'Chappy.' Oh, and you mentioned an angel. A _lot_."

Heat rushed to my face. I stuttered something about him lying, but we both knew he wasn't. How else could he know that?

He grinned. "So who exactly is this angel?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I huffed, but my face gave me away.

"Whatever." He was still smirking, the asshole. "I'll get it out of you eventually…"

_No you won't. _I silently promised.

"Wait… You were watching me sleep?"

"Hey, Rukia-chan! … Kurosaki?" Yoruichi came to our table, grinning. "It _is_ you! How've you been?"

Ichigo smiled up at my boss, ignoring my accusation. "I've been decent. You?"

"Never better." she leaned against the table. "How's Kisuke? I haven't seen him in a while… lazy ass. He could visit me, but _nooo…_"

"That's Urahara for you." Ichigo handed me his empty cup. I threw it at his head.

"Throw it away yourself! I'm not your maid."

Grumbling, he did so, and glowered at me accusingly for making him walk an entire seven steps to the garbage can.

"So you know each other?" I inquired when Ichigo returned from his long journey across the room.

"I'm an old friend of Kisuke." Yoruichi told me. "We knew each other from a while back. I met Ichigo back when Kisuke was training him."

"Training?" I asked, curious.

"For fighting." She explained, looking between the two of us. "Have you met Kisuke? How do you and Ichigo know each other, anyway?"

"It's a long story." I confessed. "And he still needs to explain a lot of things to me, anyway."

Ichigo groaned. "I'd of thought you'd know where babies come from by now."

"_Jackass." _I hissed, slapping the side of his head.

"Ow! Fine, fine, I was only kidding. _Jeez!_" He rubbed the bump on the back of his head sourly. "Can't take a joke…"

The violet haired woman looked between the two of us, a thoughtful expression lighting her dark features. If she'd been a statue, she'd be an Egyptian goddess. "I see…"

I could tell she was reading far more into this than I was, and it made me a tad uneasy.

"Well, I better get back to work." I said nervously, standing from my chair.

"No, it's fine, Rukia." Yoruichi told me, her mind somewhere else entirely. "Let's close up early today. Come on, we're going to go see Kisuke."

"Kisuke Urahara!" Yoruichi yelled, kicking the door of the shop down. "I know you're here, you lazy bastard! You can't hide from me!"

I stared at her, open-mouthed from shock. Orangey chuckled at the look on my face while Yoruichi continued to destroy the inside of the place, moving like a tornado.

"Where are you?" Yoruichi lifted up the couch with one hand. When he wasn't under it, she tossed it over her shoulder effortlessly.

"She's like this every time she visits." Ichigo told me, scratching the back of his head. "Every time Urahara has to find a better hiding spot, or risk getting the shit beaten out of him. Of course, Yoruichi always finds him."

I continued to gape, unsure what to say to that.

"Aha!" Yoruichi called in triumph from the kitchen. We followed the sound of her voice to see that the fridge had been cracked open and thrown carelessly at a wall. Where the fridge had once been, there was a hole in the floor. A wooden ladder was hanging on the edge of it.

"Gotcha!" Yoruichi didn't bother with the ladder and just dove straight down.

I walked over to the hole cautiously, peering down it from a safe distance. From what I could see, it just looked like a bottomless abyss. I took a step back, feeling dizzy. I don't do well with heights. Period.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see Ichigo, scowling with impatience. "Are you going to jump or not?"

When I didn't answer, he sighed. "Here," Ichigo told me, taking my hand in his. "If you're scared, we can jump together."

I gazed at his hand wrapped over mine, and then up at his face. All I saw were traces of annoyance; other than that, he gave away nothing.

Hesitantly I entwined my fingers with his, slowly nodding. "Ok…"

Ichigo gave a gruff "Fine. Go when I say." I nodded again.

"…Now!"

I squeezed my eyes shut and jumped with him, and I was instantly reminded of him leaping out of the window with me at Karakura High. This feeling was worse. Much worse.

I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't scream, clutching on to Ichigo's hand for dear life. I couldn't see anything but pitch black darkness, and all I could hear was the air as it whistled past my ears. We kept falling down, down… almost like we'd never touch the ground.

**Hold onto him**_**.**_

_What?_ I thought, trying to figure out where that voice had come from. The words rung in my ears like an echo, yet I somehow knew that those words weren't spoken aloud. _Hold onto who? Ichigo?_

**No! You're losing him! Don't let go!**

Ichigo's hand slipped from mine, and I reached out for him. I still couldn't see anything, but I felt him getting farther away… What's going on?

"Ichigo!" I tried to call over the wind. "Ichigo, where are you?"

_**Save the King!**_

xXxXx Xx

My eyes fluttered open. The sky above me was a perfect blue, but there was something off about it. The clouds were floating at an odd angle; instead of going from left to right, they went up and down, and were quite a distance away.

I stood up, taking in my surroundings. There was a window of a building at my feet. The building stretched out into the horizon, and it was all that was in this incredibly barren place.

"Ichigo?" My voice echoed, and for a moment I felt incredibly lonely, like I'd been abandoned.

"Hello."

I could have sworn that there wasn't someone there a second ago… it was a man. His chocolate brown hair curled in the blowing breeze, and he was shrouded in a black cloak that was ripped and torn at the edges.

"Um… Hello. Do you know where we are?"

He stared off at the sky, and I began to wonder whether or not he was going to answer. Sighing, he told me solemnly "The question is not where we are, but how you got here… Who are you?"

"My name's Rukia… Who are you?"

"Zangetsu…" He said, stilling looking off toward the horizon. "My name is Zangetsu. I assume you're here because of him, then…"

"Who?" Off in the sky, lightning flashed. Squinting, I could see that there where two people moving at impossible speeds.

"Ichigo!" I exclaimed, recognizing the blur that was his bright orange hair. I took a moment to wonder why I was so overjoyed, but decided I didn't care.

"Rukia?" he paused, briefly distracted, as I approached. I was careful as I walked, being careful not to trip over the windows that created the façade of actual ground.

Taking the opportunity, Ichigo's enemy lunged forward, his long sword glinting dangerously. Ichigo leaped back at the last second, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Why are you here?" he continued to dodge, occasionally striking back at his opponent skillfully. He obviously had done this kind of thing before.

"I don't know…" I watched as the two circled eachother. It was enchanting, in a way. Something in their quick and fierce movements was an elegance that was frightening but stunning at the same time. Almost like they were dancing… "What is this place?"

"My world. Literally."

"Your world is a sideways building with direction challenged clouds?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Sure. You could say that." He blocked another blow and sidestepped.

"Why, King," Ichigo's enemy said, slinging his sword over his shoulder. "It's rude of you to not introduce us. We rarely ever get visitors."

Ichigo growled something under his breath, causing his adversary to laugh. "I see…"

I looked between the two in confusion. They looked almost exactly alike. But while Ichigo was full of vibrant color no matter how sour his mood, the other man seemed completely devoid of it. His skin was chalk white and so was his hair, which was spiked in a style completely identical to Ichigo's. Their features were exactly the same… they could've been twins.

Of course, besides the color, there were the smaller details that told them apart. Ichigo wore black robes; the other wore white. Ichigo was always scowling, but his look-alike's mouth was twitched up in a manic grin. Ichigo's eyes were a soft cinnamon; the other's a soulless golden-yellow with a wickedness that seemed familiar in the way that sends people away screaming.

He boldly swept into a bow. "May I ask the lady's name?"

"Rukia Kuchiki." I said a bit nervously, trying to fight the urge to hide.

"A beautiful name, suited for a beautiful woman. I'm afraid I can't introduce myself, however, because I have no name of my own…" He brought my hand to his lips gently. "You may simply think of me as the Horse in this dreadful game of chess."

Ichigo gave him a look of pure loathing.

"What?" he said smugly, still not letting go of my hand. "Does the royal wimp disapprove of me being near his woman?"

"I am not his woman!" I said incredulously. His woman? Yeah, _right..._

"You are his woman." The colorless Ichigo informed me. "You must be. The two of your fates are tied, and so when the King was pulled in, his Queen was as well."

I gave Ichigo a questioning glance, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. In a mere minute I went from acquaintance to his woman, and now his queen? If I'm wrong correct me, but weren't there a few steps missing in between those? Like the 'friendship' step?

This better be someone's idea of a crappy joke, or at least wake me up sometime soon, before I find myself puking off the edge of this odd building.

The white robed Ichigo looked to the sky and sighed. "Well, it seems that someone requires your presence elsewhere. Until then, my Lady."

He finally released my hand, and I hid it behind my back childishly.

"Know this, King."

Orangey met his look-alike's eyes unkindly.

"Slip up once, and they're mine. The throne _and _the Queen."

xXxXxXx

"Rukia! Oh, thank God…" Yoruichi leaned over me, looking anxious. "Kisuke, she's ok."

"Yeah," Urahara said, adjusting his hat. "Looks like Ichigo's coming around, too."

Yoruichi helped me to my feet; I tried to balance myself clumsily. I realized I was no longer in the strange world because the clouds were floating in a normal direction.

"How long until we can send them over?" Yoruichi asked the man in clogs, who was messing with a bizarre device in his hands. It blinked from blue to gold, emitting a buzzing noise.

He sighed. "They can't get them through until next week."

Yoruichi cursed. "So, what then? We just hide her until they permit the transfer? You know she's not going to like it."

"She'll survive." Urahara said, twisting the device expertly. It folded up and he slipped it into his pocket. "We're not doing this for her happiness; it's her safety we're concerned about."

"True."

I looked over at Ichigo curiously. He stood, a troubled expression in place, as he proceeded to be lost in thought.

"…did it happen again?" Urahara asked him, his intelligent eyes taking note of his apparent weariness.

Ichigo took a moment before answering. "Yes."

Urahara nodded, like he expected no less. "He challenge you again?"

"…yeah. But…" He met my gaze. "She was there this time."

Urahara's eyes widened. "She was?"

Ichigo only nodded, not breaking eye contact with me.

"…that means…"

"I know." His voice was hard. He didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm leaving." Ichigo said abruptly.

Urahara watched him knowingly. "Be back by midnight."

I started to follow him, but Yoruichi stopped me. "He needs to be alone, Rukia."

"…ok." My eyes followed his retreating figure worriedly.

"Rukia!" he called, looking over his shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Despite his reassuring words, I still worried. I couldn't help it.


	4. Good Morning and God Damn It

**Ello peoplez! :) Here it is: Chapter Four! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach :'( And language. Lots of potty mouths in this chapter, too. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it! And thank you those of you who favorited! It makes me happy to know what you think! :)**

**I felt that I could have done more with this chapter and I may go back and edit it... I tried to make it interesting, even though there isn't as much fighting or window-jumping in this chapter... But it's important to the storyline, so please bear with me here!**

**It's not Ichigo's p.o.v. in the beginning. I just thought you might want to know where he went. **

**IchiRuki forever! :) I love you all!**

* * *

The setting sun turned the sky a pale pink over a town called Karakura. Though he never once regretted his decision, Ichigo always felt a tinge of longing for his old life.

Sitting on the rooftop of a house neighboring his childhood home, he watched, discreetly and from a distance, the family he once called his own.

_Yuzu's turning twelve today…Karin, too… _through a window he saw the blonde girl, smiling with a pointed birthday hat atop her head. Her twin sister, Karin, scowled as she was forced to wear a matching hat. The two were nothing alike, but they were inseparable.

Ichigo sighed. He always came here when he was depressed. Of course, he was planning on coming tonight anyway to see his two younger siblings, but always from the shadows.

He could never face them again. Not after what he did…

Isshin came into the living room with a large pink-frosted cake that Yuzu probably made herself -nobody else in the house could bake- beaming proudly like the idiotically obsessive father he was.

"My two little girls are growing up so fast!" he sobbed, tears falling down his face.

Karin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever, dad. Put the cake down! You're crying all over it."

Sniffing, he set it down on the table and lit the candles, illuminating the girlish cursive letters that spelled out_Happy Birthday Karin and Yuzu! _

Isshin got out the camcorder and recorded his two daughters blowing out the candles together. "What'd you wish for?" he demanded the second they were out.

Karin snorted. "We can't tell you, or else it won't come true!"

"Yeah, dad!" Yuzu chimed, grinning. "And besides, it's a wish for you, too!"

"Now you have to tell me!" He groaned. "C'mon, please?"

Isshin pouted, and Yuzu and Karin shared a look.

"Not happening, dad." Karin told him, kicking her feet up on the table.

"Please, Yuzu?"

Yuzu was a softie, and really gullible. She's always the first to cave.

"Alright." She sighed, getting up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

Isshin's face fell. "I hope so, too. And I know if he could see you right now, your big brother would be proud. Of both of you."

"Really?" Yuzu whispered, tears falling down her face. Even Karin, the strong, unbreakable soccer player, had to wipe away a few stray teardrops.

"I know he would."

Ichigo observed the scene. _This happens every year_, he reminded himself. But again, the feelings of wanting to walk through the front door and say "I'm home. Don't cry anymore." were stronger than ever. Of wanting to comfort Yuzu whenever she cries and take her to the store to buy her new thread to sew with… Of going to Karin's soccer games and patching up her knee when she fell… hell, he even missed getting horrible advice from his father. It was rare, but sometimes Isshin would have something helpful and fatherly to say…

_I can't watch this anymore… _he thought, still unable to keep his eyes away. He missed them…

Isshin wiped his daughters' tears away, and pulled them in for a hug. "He's proud of you…"

xXxXxXx

I jumped from the sudden noise of a door being slammed shut. Scrambling up from the couch, a blanket fell to the floor and I tripped over it, falling with a thud.

A pair of shoes came into my line of vision. Ichigo heaved a sigh, looking down at me.

"You stayed up all night?"

I yawned, bleary eyed, and he had his answer.

"I told you not to worry. Now get up."

"Where were you?" I asked, managing to do as he said without falling over myself again.

He stiffened. "Nowhere important."

I let it drop, considering he seemed moodier than usual. I could understand why, though. I was pretty stressed myself.

_You are his woman. You must be._

I shivered. "What… what was that place? Earlier…"

"Just… don't worry about it, ok? And…" He seemed at a loss for words, unsure what to say to me. "Don't worry about _him._"

"You know the more you say that, the more I worry." Groggy as I was, my tone was more sarcastic than usual, and that was saying something.

"I know. Anything I say involving _don't _you do anyway."

"Prove it."

"_Don't_ leave your house. _Don't_ go to school. _Don't_ do shit you know you can't handle. _Don't _hurt yourself. _Don't_ stay up all night. _Don't_ worry-"

"Alright, I get it." I grumbled. "And you didn't tell me not to stay up."

He grinned, but he still seemed strained. "Well, add that to the list."

"You should go to bed. You need sleep." I told him, noticing just how tired he really was.

"That's my line." He wiped his eyes and yawned. "Anyways-"

Ichigo tripped over the forgotten blanket on the floor, and stumbled onto the couch, taking me with him.

Cursing, I tried to push him off of me. "Ichigo, get the hell off of me! Ichigo?"

His reply came in the form of snoring.

"Damn it! If you were _that_ tired you should have said something!" I shoved at his chest again. "Idiot! Wake up, you brainless dandelion! Get _up!_"

Several more minutes of struggling, cursing, and insulting later I finally came to terms with the fact that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Damn it." I repeated, my eyes drooping.

xXxXxXx

"Aww … how cute. It's disgusting." said an unfamiliar girl's voice.

I opened one eye sleepily, and then blinked when lights started flashing. I groaned, rubbing my hand over face, and then not fully awake, took in the crowd of people surrounding me. They were all grinning like complete psychopaths. Weird.

Urahara's smile was a little more frightening than the others.

It was way too early in the morning to be dealing with this. I tried sitting up, but was stopped by a certain orange fluff ball that weighed me down.

"God damn it, will somebody get him _off_ of me?"

Snickering, a girl with her sandy hair pulled back into spiked pigtails came forward and flicked Ichigo in the forehead. I recognized her as the one who'd spoken a little earlier.

He grunted and turned his head in the other direction, snuggling closer to me. I yelped and struggled to slip away from him, but it didn't work last night and it wasn't working now.

"You got yourself into quite a position there, Rukia." Yoruichi commented, the device she held up blinking. It was a video camera. Shit.

"Are any of you going to help me?" I demand, annoyed.

"Well, we could…" A boy with pin-straight blonde hair that fell just past his jaw said. "But it's more entertaining if we don't."

I glared at him, and then started to shove Ichigo again. "Get the fuck up, you damn carrot!"

Ichigo mumbled something incomprehensible and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Yoruichi!" I yelped, looking at my boss pleadingly. She laughed.

"Here, hold the camera, Kisuke."

The man in the hat took the camera willingly, keeping it focused on me and the snoring moron. She went into the kitchen and came out with a cup of ice water. Very calmly she crept up to the couch and promptly dumped the cup and its contents onto Ichigo, and by default, me.

"_Holy shit!" _Ichigo held himself up by his elbows, turning to glare death at Yoruichi.

Urahara, who was cracking up, wiped tears from his eyes and handed Yoruichi back the video camera. "Nice."

"What the hell?" Ichigo, now wide awake, demanded with water dripping from his hair.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'd be lying." Yoruichi told him, not hiding her amusement. "And Rukia needed a rescue."

"What? Is she alright-" he broke off as soon as he saw me. His thoughts began unscrambling, and things started piecing themselves together. Ichigo's face went from confusion to shock, then to blushing madly. You could almost see the light bulb go on over his head. He sprang up from the couch like it was on fire, only to trip on that damn blanket that caused this mess, his head barely avoiding the glass coffee table.

He groaned and my eyes flew heavenward. What a great way to wake up in the morning.

"Ichigo, this is pathetic, honestly. First you don't show up for training, so we have to come get you. Then when we get here Kisuke tells us you're asleep and so we come to wake you up and find you attacking some poor little girl." The blonde guy said, looking annoyed.

"Honestly," the girl in pigtails smirked. "We didn't know you were a pedophile, Ichigo. What is she, in elementary school?"

I glared at her. Who was she to talk? She couldn't be more than an inch taller than me, and definitely not older.

"Is there something that you're trying to say to me?" I moved from the couch, brushing off my pajamas. They'd been in my duffle bag. They were a pale yellow with the design of Chappy the Rabbit, and not exactly something worn when trying to look defiant and tough.

"Now why ever would you think such a thing?" She said, voice dripping with mock-innocence.

"Who the hell are you to call me an elementary student?"

She ignored me to stand by Ichigo, who got to his feet, still bright pink. "Ichigo, let's go. Why is a _human_ here, anyway?" The girl spat out 'human' like it was the filthiest thing she'd ever heard of.

Disregarding the girl, Ichigo's eyes narrowed at a woman across the room. "Is that a video camera?"

Yoruichi fumbled with the camera swiftly, and the smile that spread across her face would stage even the bravest child's nightmares until the unfortunate kid was eighty.

"Kisuke!" she signaled, tucking the video camera into her back pocket.

"Got it!" Kisuke removed his green striped hat at threw it like a Frisbee, and it circled over our heads. We stared blankly at it as it fell to the floor.

"What was that supposed to do?" I asked.

"Nothing." Urahara shrugged. "It was just supposed to distract you while I did this!" he removed his hand from his pocket and blew a thin powder into the air. It shimmered, and then the room seemed to become coated in a glassy film.

Cursing, Ichigo slammed his shoulder against the doorway; only to ricochet back ineffectually like a wall had formed there.

He leaned against the 'wall' and groaned. "God damn it."

"Damn what?" Something clicked in my head.

Yoruichi wasn't in the room. Meaning the camera wasn't, either.

"Shit!" I joined Ichigo in cursing against the wall, hating the world. When the wall had finally had enough, the argument turned in a different, and completely expected, direction.

"This is _your_ fault."

"_My_ fault? _You_ fell on me last night, jackass!"

"You could have woken me up!"

"I tried! You sleep like you're in a fucking coma!"

"So push me off the damn couch!"

"I _tried_!" I repeated fiercely. "You wouldn't move!"

"Well you should have tried harder. No matter how short and weak you are, you at least could've rolled me off."

That hit a sore spot. Considering my next move, I think I hit a sore spot, too. Even bare foot, I kick hard, and my anger only added to the force when I lashed out my leg. Needless to say when my foot made contact with Ichigo's groin, it hurt.

He stood still for a moment, eerily quiet. The entire room was silent. Ichigo doubled over in pain, curling up on the ground, and it took up all of his effort not to cry out. I could've sworn his eyes were watering, but he blinked it away before I was entirely sure.

I was seconds from apologizing when I heard him growl something under his breath.

"_Bitch."_

I struck out at him again. "You deserve worse, you orange bastard_. Don't_ make fun of my height. _Or_ call me weak." I threw in an extra kick for the hell of it.

The blonde girl snorted. "Well, I guess you aren't that bad. Anyone who can make Ichigo look _this_ miserable is good by me."

She held out a hand. "Hiyori Sarugaki. Vizard."

I took it warily, still pissed about her earlier comment. "Rukia Kuchiki. Human."

And thus began the start of a pointless friendship-err… _acquaintanceship_ that probably won't last very long and is bound to fail.

The film shattered and Yoruichi stepped into the room. Her eyes fell to Ichigo. "Damn it. What'd I miss? Was it good?"

"Very." Kisuke chuckled. "Rukia here was just showing Ichigo what happens when he pisses her off."

"Well, fill me in while we're eating."

Urahara paled. "You don't mean…"

"I do." She stepped forward, grabbing his arm before he could escape. "You are going to treat me to lunch. I was thinking something fancy, where you have to dress up…"

Kisuke looked pained, but he didn't protest, though he feared for the well-being of his wallet…

"Oh, yeah." Yoruichi turned, flipping back her violet ponytail, as though something had just occurred to her. "You can't go practice, Ichigo, you have to watch Rukia."

"I'm _seventeen_." I scowled. "I don't need a babysitter."

She ignored me. "You hear me, Kurosaki? You know what would happen if she got hurt? Captain Yamamoto put you in charge, correct?"

"Good. You understand." She didn't even wait for his reply. "We'll be back in a few hours. Rukia is not to leave this house."

The door slammed behind them, and I saw Ichigo twitch on the ground.

"…is he going to be alright?" I finally asked to break the silence.

"Nah. He's fine. He needed a good kick in the balls…" The guy was probably around 6'2, his brunette hair somehow shaped into a star on his head. I wondered just how much money this guy wasted on hair product. In his left hand was a copy of _Shonen Jump. _I couldn't see his eyes from behind his dark sunglasses. "I'm Love Aikawa, glad to meet ya."

I shook his outstretched hand. "I'm Rukia."

"Kensei." Said the silver haired guy said. He didn't seem hostile, but he wasn't exactly friendly either.

"My name is Hachigen Ushōda. You may call me Hachi." The man was large and rather plump, his hair a light pink. He wore a pleasant smile.

"Hello, Hachi." I smiled in return. He seemed nice enough.

"I'm Lisa Yadōmaru." She was wearing a simple school uniform that differed from the ones at Karakura, with a pink neckerchief. Who wore those anymore? Her black hair was tied back into two long pigtails, and her turquoise eyes were defined by oval-shaped glasses with red rims. Lisa seemed distant and aloof, and I didn't know what to make of her or whether or not we'd get along.

"Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi. I'm known as Rose." He had long wavy hair that was a blondish-color and his eyes were purple. His shirt had frilled cuffs, like a musician would have worn long ago.

"I'm Mashiro Kuna!" Mashiro's appearance was even more unusual and outlandish than the others. She wore a white bodysuit and goggles atop her lime green head, with orange gloves and boots. She also wore a matching orange scarf tied loosely around her neck

"You gave Berry Boy a good kick there!" She grinned childishly.

"Berry Boy…" I said, thoughtfully. "That's a new one. I'll have to use it sometime."

"And finally, I'm Shinji Hiraku. Leader of the Vizards!" The odd-looking blonde from before said. His smile showed off some of his teeth.

"Leader my ass!" Hiyori yelled, smacking the top of his head with her sandal.

He winced. "Anyway, now that we're through with the introductions, can we speed this up? Ichigo, be a man and suck it up."

Orangey stood, though it clearly took an effort. I hid a smile.

"So are we going to practice or what?" Love said, scanning over his book uninterestedly.

Ichigo scowled. "You heard Yoruichi. I can't."

"He doesn't want to come." Hiyori smirked. "He wants to stay with the girl."

"Not true!" Ichigo argued with his face a tomato. "Yoruichi told me to stay here. And I've got orders from Yamamoto."

Shinji eyes shone bright with amusement. "That's never stopped you before."

He grumbled something unintelligible. "It's _different _this time."

Hiyori rolled her eyes, slipping her sandal back onto her foot. "Sure it is." Grabbing Shinji by the collar and gesturing for her other friends to follow, she called over her shoulder "We'll be back when you're free."

The back door slammed shut and I cursed for the god-only-knows-how-many time that afternoon.

"What?"

"_The camera." _I groaned, remembering Yoruichi.

"The camera…? The _camera!_" he swore colorfully, and then headed into another room.

"Are you coming?" his head popped around the door frame. I followed him down the hall where the room that I'd slept in was, but this time we turned to a door on the left.

"Why are we in here?" I asked, scanning over the square room. It was small, with poorly lit plum walls. A white leather couch was drowning in feathered pillows in place of a bed, and dangling beads replaced the door where a closet was hiding. The only light in the room came from a single meager light bulb on the ceiling, and from a faint blue glow in the corner of the room.

Ichigo took a seat, and I realized that the glow came from a sleek black desktop computer.

"You have a computer?" I ask, feeling idiotic as I watched his fingers fly over the keyboard expertly.

"This is Yoruichi's." he said simply. "But, yeah, I have a computer. A laptop, technically. Why wouldn't I?"

Hoping that was a rhetorical question I didn't answer, mainly because my answer was embarrassing. Just because someone occasionally dresses like they were from ancient Japan and fought evil creatures with a sword doesn't mean that they weren't from this time period. Err… I think. "Wait… did you say this was Yoruichi's computer?"

"Yes, I did." His tone annoyed from my evident lack of listening skills.

"Shit!" I exclaimed. "You think that she…"

"I _know_ she did." He growled. "Here's the proof."

The mouse icon clicked on a website. A video was posted by someone under the name of VioletKitten06, and I blanked when my sleeping face appeared on the screen.

Ichigo looked murderous when his digital form snuggled close to me and sighed. That sigh sounded suspiciously like my name, but I'm pretty sure I heard wrong. I suddenly became aware that my dark hair frizzed with noticeable bed head and was in my Chappy pajamas… I nearly choked when I saw the amount of views.

"It hasn't been twenty minutes!" I cried, pointing at the number. "That has _way_ too many zeros for less than twenty minutes…"

My orange haired companion sat silently, still with a homicidal expression. The mouse clicked numerous times as he focused on the screen, typing occasionally.

Ichigo swore in a mixture of frustration and defeat. "She changed the password. The video's locked and I can't remove it without it."

I paled. "Oh, _god_, what are they going to say at school… what are my _friends_ going to say?" I froze as my words dawned on me. "_School_! My _friends_!"

The ticking clock on the wall mockingly read 12:49. The school day ended in only a few hours, meaning that I was already hours late…

I sprinted out of Yoruichi's room and searched relentlessly for my duffel bag. I dumped the contents onto the floor carelessly and dug for my school uniform.

"Get out!" I yelled at Ichigo, not wanting a repeat of the other day. "I need to change!"

He leaned against the wall. "No you don't."

I scowled. There it was again, that stupid 'I know more about you than you do' tone. "_Yes_, I do. I have to get to school!"

"You're not going to school."

"What-? Of course I am. I have to! Do you have any idea how hard I have to work so I can go to school?"

"What do think would happen if you went to school?" His cinnamon eyes watched me intently. "What do you think that creature you saw before _was_? Do you think it attacked you randomly? That it was just a coincidence?"

I faltered, my uniform's skirt slipping out of my hand.

"The Hollows are tracking you. If you leave, you're bound to be attacked again. If you go to school, you won't just be risking your life, but all of your friends' lives as well."

I grasped his words, taking in what Ichigo was saying. He was right. I couldn't do that to Tatsuki… Renji… Orihime… any of my friends.

"Why?" I asked in a hushed voice. I met his gaze, and his eyes softened a little bit. "Why are they after me?"

"Come on. There's a lot we have to talk about."

* * *

**I hated ending the chapter there... but that just means you can expect and even better chapter the next time!**

**There's more to come! :)**


	5. The Carrot and Bunny

**Hi pplz! Sorry for the wait! **

**Thank you reveiwers! ^^ And I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes. I kinda rushed, so I'll have to go back and correct things later.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, carrots, rabbits, the internet, or anything else that I don't own. **

**Happy Thanksgiving! :)**

* * *

I sat on the couch, squeezing a feather pillow I'd brought from Yoruichi's room. I was still in my Chappy pajamas; the duffle bag would have died if there had been any more clothing stuffed inside. It wasn't that big.

"What the hell are you _doing?_" I finally called, fed up with the clatter of pots and pans mixed in with slamming cabinet doors.

"Do you want something to eat or not?" Ichigo barked, and something screeched as it skidded out from the kitchen and onto the wooden floor of the living room.

My eyes widened when I saw the bent saucepan spark slightly, but I shut my mouth. I was hungry, but my impatience to find out what was really happening overshadowed my stomach's complaining. Plus I'm afraid of Orangey's cooking.

Something red and shiny soared out of the kitchen and hit me square in the jaw. "Ouch!"

"What happened?" Ichigo demanded, coming into the living room.

I glared at him. "I just got assaulted by an apple."

"Oh." He smirked. "Yeah, that happens sometimes."

"You threw it!" I flung the apple at him, hoping it'd hit him in the jaw. He caught it with ease, and my glare hardened. "You're not fair."

"Life's not fair." Ichigo bit into the apple. "Deal with it."

I scowled and he handed me the now bitten into apple. I made a face and sunk my teeth into the other side of it, avoiding where his mouth had been. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"So…" He said, sitting on the coffee table. I had a feeling that if he did that any time that Yoruichi _was_ here, he'd get his ass kicked. "I guess I'll start from the beginning."

"Do you believe in Heaven and Hell?" he asked me, completely serious.

"Heaven and Hell?" I repeated, wiping my hand over my mouth. "… I guess I've never really thought about it. What's that got to do with that thing that attacked me?"

"Hell is real." Ichigo said it without doubt. He sounded so certain that it frightened me.

"…what about Heaven?" I said quietly.

"Heaven… I don't know about Heaven. But there is a place that departed souls go to after death. It's called the Soul Society."

"Is it crowded?"

"Crowded?"

"Yeah. If all the souls go there after they die, wouldn't it be crowded?"

"It's not like a room. It's another _world_." Ichigo enunciated, making me feel stupid for asking. "It's portrayed to be a paradise. And no one ever feels hunger."

"Really? Never?"

"Unless they have high spiritual energy. That's the only way they feel hunger."

"Spirit energy?" Again, another question.

"Every human or spiritual creature contains a certain amount of something called Reiryoku. Reiryoku is someone's spiritual power. The level and strength of one's Reiryoku is determined by spiritual sensitivity and strength of mind." Ichigo told me in a very teacher-like drone. I was missing school to _learn_. Ugh.

"If your Reiryoku is strong enough, it can become a physical form." He held out his hand, palm out. There was a small flash of light, and a sphere of cobalt blue glowed miraculously, appearing out of thin air. I leaned on the edge of the couch to get a closer look, mesmerized, and it plopped out of existence as easily as it came.

"That's called Reiatsu. It can also be used as a weapon. But, let's get back to the subject of the Soul Society. The Soul Society is divided up into the Rukongai, or the Rukon District, and the Seireitei. The Rukongai is where departed souls first appear after they've gone through a Soul Burial."

"A Soul Burial," Ichigo continued. "is performed in the Human World. Shinigami come over from the Soul Society to complete the Konsō on the human souls, which transfer them into the Rukongai. Do you follow?"

I nodded. "When you say _Shinigami _what exactly do you mean?" I wasn't completely stupid. I knew enough to know that it meant _Death God_. I shivered. The word seemed to send my heart racing, like this was something I should _know. _

"Shinigami are responsible for maintaining the balance between this world and the next. They make sure that the amount of souls in each world remains somewhat even. If there were too many souls in the Soul Society and not enough in the Human World, or the other way around, it was assumed that neither world could exist. All that would be left is the Between World, where Hollows reside."

"Like the thing that attacked me!" I said, recalling the name. I pouted at the apple core in my hands. "Why _did_ it attack me, anyway?"

Ichigo looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged. "I guess we'll know when we go to the Soul Society. There's something strange about your Reiryoku. Not bad, exactly, just… odd." He plucked the core from my hands and went off into the kitchen.

"What do you mean by odd?" I asked when he returned.

"It's hard to explain." Ichigo said simply, taking a seat next to me on the couch. Now without the core, he wiped his hand on the leg of his jeans. I mentally chastised myself for not realizing he was wearing normal clothing. He wore a tight-fitted purple T-shirt and black jeans, and surprisingly some red Converse sneakers.

"What?" he asked in response to my contemplating frown.

"You come from a different world, yet you can afford designer clothing?"

Ichigo cringed. "I'm not. I mean, I can't." He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I may not be able to afford much, but I know the difference between the Wal-Mart brand and Calvin Klein." I scowled. "Those look like they were _at least_ ninety dollars, and that's if you bought them used."

"I got them at a garage sale."

I glowered at him. Ichigo was unquestionably lying. You don't put Calvin Klein jeans in a garage sale. Maybe on eBay, but not a garage sale.

"Where do Hollows come from? Hell?" I asked instead of calling him out.

Ichigo looked relieved at the subject change. "No, not from Hell. Some Hollows go to Hell eventually. Hollows are actually human souls that, for numerous reasons, never cross over to the Soul Society. They're souls that stay in the World of the Living for too long. The souls become corrupted from the evil in this world, and develop into creatures with supernatural powers that devour human souls."

I gape at him in horror. "They... _eat_ souls!"

"Yeah." Ichigo said somberly. "Did you notice the holes they have in their chests? Hollows lose their hearts. This can happen from despair, grief, certain degrees of denial, and such. They eat souls to get rid of their pain. A Shinigami performs a Soul Burial for Hollows by cleansing them of their sins and evil. This is possible because of our blades, which are called Zanpakutō. A cleansed Hollow may enter the Soul Society. But when a Hollow commits horrible crimes when they were alive, that is when they go to Hell."

"Has a Hollow ever escaped from Hell?" I asked.

"You ask a lot of questions." Ichigo sighed, pressing into the couch tiredly. "Now it's my turn. What do you want to do?"

"I want to see my friends." I said stubbornly.

"_Besides_ that." he rolled his eyes.

"I want to go back to my apartment."

"Ok, let's try this again. What do you want to do that _doesn't _involve leaving this place?"

I scowled. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

We sat there for several minutes while I sulked in silence.

"This is _boring_." Ichigo complained, glaring at the ceiling. "There must be _something_ here to do."

"Stop whining. You sound like you're five years old."

"You look like you're five years old."

I elbowed him in the gut.

"A _violent_ five year old." He choked out, in pain.

I silenced him with a look, and then stood to stretch. "C'mon, Orangey, let's go."

"Where?" Ichigo rubbed where I elbowed him.

"To find a phone. Just because I can't go see my friends doesn't mean I can't contact them."

xXxXxXx

"Are you sure about this?" Ichigo grumbled, watching me dial the numbers warily.

"I'm sure it's not." I grinned, mocking him, and held the phone to my ear. "In fact, calling anyone right now is probably one of the stupidest things I _can_ do, right? I mean, why would anyone want to know where I am? It's not like someone might be _worried_ or anything. It's not like the _police_ could get involved."

"Fine, whatever, stupid question. But I could do without the sarcasm." He leaned against the wall, wearing the scowl he almost always had on.

The only phone in the house was, predictably, in Yoruichi's room. The Café owner seemed to be the only one here besides Ichigo that wasn't old fashioned.

I cursed when Tatsuki's cell went to voicemail. I left a short message, sparing all the important details like where I was, who I was with, etc. Basically the only thing she could really get out of it was that I was breathing.

"Bye!" I called into the receiver with that falsely cheerful voice. I hung up and Ichigo snickered.

"You are such a _horrible_ actress." He said, grinning. "Seriously, if anyone ever buys that crap, I'll buy your meals for a week."

"You are going to live to regret those words." I promised, setting the phone down. "Now let's get out of Yoruichi-san's room before they get back and she brutally murders us."

"Good idea. But first…" He returned to the computer.

"What are you- oh, I get it." I took the seat next to Ichigo. The screen blinked back to the video of this morning's earlier events.

I cringed. "What the hell? _More zeroes?_"

"Look at the comments." Ichigo said darkly, scanning over the screen.

I snorted at one in particular, and Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have something against my… _'Smexy body.'_" He asked, quoting the comment of some girl a couple of towns away from here.

"No, I just didn't feel as lucky as she's describing at the time. And I definitely didn't want to… _'Pull his clothing off with my teeth.' _Damn, these girls know how to paint an image. _Eww! _Holy shit, I'm not even going to say that out loud." I shuddered.

Ichigo smirked, scrolling down. He would _definitely_ need a deflation to his already impenetrable ego after this. "Look this one's about you."

I gagged, choking on air.

"What?" Ichigo laughed. "Not your type?"

"_Hell no! _Not interested! Keep scrolling."

He did so. "CandyCane33 wants to ask you if I taste as good as I look." He told me.

"How the hell would I know? Why the hell would I _want_ to know?" I said, gawking at the screen bizarrely. "Of all the people who could comment, they all had to be nasty?"

Ichigo paled.

"What?" I asked.

"CandyCane33 is a sixty year old man."

"What? Seriously-"

"_Moving on." _The comment was lost at sea. "IcuIBWme99 would take you on the couch, on the bed, wherever. And then there's a little smiley face."

"Is he cute?"

"If middle aged and balding is your idea of cute, then yes."

"No thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. BigBLUEyez101 says _"The Bunny and the Carrot make a cute couple." _

Ichigo scowled. "Even the internet mocks my hair."

I laughed. "I don't mind being called a bunny. Bunnies are cute."

"But we make a cute couple."

"We do?" I blinked.

"Apparently." said the Carrot.

"I didn't know that we were a couple."

"I didn't either."

We sat in an awkward silence. I fidgeted uncomfortably, uncertain of why I couldn't meet his eyes, when the phone rang. We both jumped up to answer it simultaneously, reaching for it. I dropped my hand first.

"Hello?" Ichigo said. "Ah, yeah. Here she is."

My eyes widened as I caught the phone. "H-hello?"

"_Rukia!" _Tatsuki cried on the other end of the phone. "Oh my god! We were so worried! Where are you? Who was that just now? Are you alright? That guy didn't hurt you, did he? _He jumped out of a window! _We checked the hospitals and your apartment-"

"Tatsuki! Calm down. _Tatsuki. _Please- no I'm _fine._" I said, attempting to calm my hysterical friend.

"Renji called the cops. They're looking for that guy right now. There are posters everywhere-"

"_He did what?" _

"Renji contacted the police and explained the situation. I'm so glad you're ok. They have a couple of leads on where that orange haired guy is probably staying. Right now they're checking out the abandoned shops downtown…"

"_Shit!"_

"Rukia? What's wrong?"

"_Tatsuki_-I'll explain later. Meet me at my apartment!" I hung up, turning towards Ichigo.

"We have to get out of here!"

Ichigo didn't question anything. He didn't say _"No, we're supposed to stay here." _or even _"Why? What's wrong?" _Ichigo instantly went into action like some instinct flipped on. He didn't have to know anything other than something was wrong and that we had to leave. _Now. _

xXxXxXx

The patrol car inched down the desolate streets, slowly and deliberately thorough. It was obviously searching for something. In this case, _someone. _

We got lucky. That was all there was too it. Even with the afternoon sun blazing arrogantly in the sky, there were no shadows to hide in. There were no corners; basically it was a one-way road up until you reached the center of town. Which, by the way, was more than likely covered with posters that probably read Wanted: Psychotic Carrot for Abducting Teenage Midget… maybe. But something close to that effect.

Said Teenage Midget, otherwise someone I know to be myself, was currently getting a piggyback ride from said Psychotic Carrot. If I were anybody else at that moment I would've been laughing my ass off. But since I was me, I was terrified.

Not only were Ichigo and I running from the police, but we were moving at unattainable speeds, and I was pretty damn sure that the officer we passed got a clear view of us.

When we got into town was when it got more difficult. We tried to avoid sight as much as we could, but at times that was impossible and we had to duck through crowds of thirty to forty people. Who knew just how many of them had seen and recognized Ichigo. He wasn't exactly hard to miss with his spiky orange hair and being almost six feet in height. He had a face you didn't exactly forget, either. It could have just been that he saved my life, but I thought that he was an angel.

I sighed in a short-lived feeling of relief when my apartment came into view. I scrambled off Ichigo's back to open the door to the abandoned building. It creaked familiarly, and I stepped inside with Ichigo following behind me.

It was just as I remembered; crappy. But it was home, and despite the poor conditions, I loved it dearly.

"Wait here." I told Ichigo, who got comfortable on the couch. I felt weird having him here, like I should have cleaned the place up a bit. That was just stupid. Why did it matter what he thought? Still, I was grateful that the place was no longer drenched with rain.

My first priority was to shower. Because no matter how much denial of the fact I was in, I needed it. The hot water was blissful, and I'd never been so happy to see a soap bar in my life. When I got out I was literally squeaking as I walked.

Changing into a plain black t-shirt and navy blue shorts, I went back into the living room.

"I'm leaving." Ichigo told me, waiting by the door.

"What? No, you can't!" I exclaimed. "Didn't you see all the people out there? We barely made it here! Where are you going?"

"I have to go back to the shop to get something."

"Is it that important?" I asked him, wondering what the hell was going on in his head. Was he crazy? What if he got caught?

"Yes. It is." He told me, his expression serious.

I glared at him. "Ok…"

"I'll be back before you know it. Don't worry."

"Psh. Like I'd worry about you." I said, turning my face away.

Ichigo grinned. "Of course not. But stay here and don't give me another reason to worry about you."

"Another?" I asked. "How many reasons do you have?"

"Plenty."

"So take me with you." I pouted. "You won't have to worry as much."

"No, I'd still worry. Besides, you have to meet your friend."

Damn. He was right. "Well… hurry back."

He just nodded and pulled a vanishing act out the window. Whatever Ichigo had against normal exits was beyond me. Maybe he just likes windows.

xXxXxXx

One problem I realized while waiting was that Tatsuki had no idea where my apartment was. The second was that I didn't have a phone to call her and tell her where it was. But she said that they checked my apartment… did that mean that Renji blew my secret?

Not that I blamed him. If one of my friends went missing I'd have checked their place too. But it would kind of suck if I got kicked out. I'd lived here for years, and it was, without question, the only place I had. I could never burden any of my friends that way.

I sprang up in alarm when the sound of someone rapping against the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I reached for the knob when I thought _what if it's the police? _

I hesitated, considering the possibilities. Tensing, I opened the door to reveal…

"_Tatsuki! Orihime!" _I yelped, proceeding to be pulled into the tightest hug ever.

"Cant… _breathe!_" I gasped, but I didn't care. My friends!

"Ruki-chan!" Orihime sobbed against my shoulder. "We thought you were _dead_!"

"I'm ok, Hime-chan. I'm fine. Everything's ok." I soothed, patting her back comfortingly.

"Rukia! Where were you?_ What happened?_" Tatsuki even had to wipe away a tear or two. And Tatsuki _never_ cried. That was saying something.

I sighed. "Here, come inside. I have a lot to explain…"

xXxXxXx

"So what? How did you get away from that orange guy?" Tatsuki asked once we'd settled down in the living room.

"I didn't." I told her truthfully, passing Orihime a jar of peanuts.

"Do you have any red bean paste?" she asked, and I said no. She pouted and ate the peanuts plain.

"What do you mean you didn't? How'd you get here? Did the police lock him up?"

I grimaced. "I hope not."

"But he kidnapped you! He came to the school, grabbed you, and jumped out of a window? How did you survive the fall?"

"We… just did. And he didn't kidnap me. He saved my life."

"…by jumping out a window…?" Tatsuki looked unconvinced.

"No! The day at the beach, I almost fell off the edge of that big cliff. He stopped me."

"So he saved your life… then kidnapped you and tried to kill you? Nice guy."

"Tatsuki, he never tried to kill me. From the first day that I met him, he's done nothing but help me."

"Then why haven't you been at school? Do you have any idea how freaked out everyone was once you were gone? And, Renji… Oh, God. You're in for hell. He's refusing to talk to anyone. He won't eat."

"Shit! He hasn't done that since…" Renji hasn't done that since his mother was murdered. By his father. Renji ran away from home, unable to be anywhere near that sick bastard. He was only seven years old, without anywhere to go. Then he met me…

"I know." Tatsuki looked at me sympathetically. "He thinks he lost you. But still, Renji went and searched for you every chance he got."

"Do you have your phone on you?" I asked, knowing what I had to do. Tatsuki slipped the purple slide phone into my hand, and I dialed Renji's number.

"Tatsuki, I told you, I'm still going to search. So, if you don't mind-"

"Renji, it's me." I cut him off before he could hang up. The other end of the line was silent.

"Hello? Renji? Are you alright?"

"_Rukia!" _he yelled so loud I nearly dropped the phone. "Where are you? Are you ok? That guy didn't hurt you, did he? Cuz I swear to god if he so much as-"

"Renji, I'm fine. I'm at my apartment. If you could-"

He hung up. It was rude, but I was used to it and took it as an _"I'm on my way." _Sighing, I faced Orihime and Tatsuki. "He's coming over. Please, don't let him kill me."

They grinned. "We won't."

"So," asked Orihime, setting down the peanut jar. "If that guy wasn't bad, and wasn't caught by the police, where is he?"

"Hopefully on his way back over here." I said, looking out the window. Where _was_ he?

"If he isn't in jail…"

"Well, I'm glad you have so much faith in me." Ichigo said, closing the front door. Orihime squeaked and Tatsuki looked slightly alarmed.

"Guys…" I warned, standing up. "Everything's fine." I strolled up to Ichigo, and then slammed my fist into the back of his spiky head.

"What the hell?" He asked, rubbing his sore spot. "What'd I do?"

"You took to long!" I yelled, glaring daggers at him.

Ichigo grinned. "I missed you, too."

"I didn't miss you! I just thought you got thrown in jail!"  
"I told you not to worry." Ichigo looked slightly annoyed. "But I guess I should be glad you actually stayed like a told you to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"It means you never listen!"

"Not true-!"

Tatsuki and Orihime shared a look, and then burst out laughing.

"What?" Ichigo and I said in unison, turning to face them.

"Nothing, nothing." Tatsuki said, trying to cover another fit of laughter, failing entirely.

I grumbled. "Ichigo, these are my friends Tatsuki and Orihime. Guys, this is a Carrot."

"Hey!" Ichigo protested, coming to sit next to me. Orihime was across from him, and next to her was Tatsuki. "You insult me after all I've done for you?"

"Yep." I said stubbornly.

Ichigo groaned. "After I went through all this trouble just to get this…"

"Get what?" I asked, curious.

He smirked. "Apologize and I'll show you."

"Show me what?" I glared at him. "Do not tell me you went all the way back there for some stupid little…" I broke off when he held out a silver chain. A shiny black stone about the size of a nickel dangled from it. "…my necklace…"

"Am I still in trouble?" he asked, pulling it around my neck.

I let him adjust the necklace. "No… but you're still an idiot."

"That's the closest thing to a compliment I'm ever going to get from you, isn't it?" he sighed, smiling slightly. "But, fine, I'll take it."

"Aww…" Orihime said, looking between the two of us. Tatsuki made a gagging noise, and I blushed.

"Shut up." I told them. My eyes widened, and I cursed. "Shit!" I stood, grabbing Ichigo by the arm. "You have to hide!"

"What? Why?"

"Renji!" I said, just as the front door opened. There in the doorway stood a very spiky radish head who looked very pissed off.


End file.
